Numerous aircraft avionic systems, such as autoflight and flight management systems, are replete with numerous operational modes. The permutations of these operational modes can cause some uncertainty as to what these systems are presently doing and/or what these systems may do next. To assist in alleviating this uncertainty, most aircraft include a display called the Flight Mode Annunciator (FMA).
The basic functionality of the FMA has not changed in over 50 years. For complex path management in the modern National Airspace System (NAS), the FMA may not reveal enough information, quickly enough, to ensure pilots do not make a path error. Moreover, the FMA design does not naturally communicate what aircraft systems will NOT do. This can cause errors of omission, which can result in operational deviations, because the system didn't do (or communicate about) something it half-knew it was supposed to do. For instance, in modern commercial aircraft, the likelihood of missing a descent target is increased.
In most systems, regardless of manufacturer or implementation (e.g., graphical or through an MCDU), setting a descent target requires the pilot to perform a 3-step process. First, the constraint at a given waypoint is set. Second, the altitude target is set via, for example, the ASEL (altitude select), which gives the aircraft “permission” to descend. Third, and finally, the vertical navigation (VNAV) function is armed. Completion of any one of these steps may make the pilot feel that they have completed the process. However, because only one step of the process is completed, the aircraft will not maneuver to the descent target. Because the system is not configured to provide aircraft autoflight capability feedback to pilots (e.g., reveal what the aircraft will do and what it will not do), the latent error of omission is hidden from view until it becomes an operational error.
Hence, there is a need for a system and method of providing aircraft autoflight capability feedback to pilots to aircraft pilots to thereby prevent, or at least inhibit, latent errors of omission that may result in operational errors. The present invention addresses at least this need.